1. Field of the Invention
The present invention belongs to the field of electric connectors and relates to a floating connector that can engage with a counterpart connector, even if there is a deviation in its position in relation to the counterpart connector, by absorbing that deviation.
2. Related Art
Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication Heisei 7-22865 discloses a multi-pole connector wherein a plurality of contact fixing holes are provided inside an insulator housing for receiving and holding contacts, each of which has a contacting part at the top end and a solder tail at the bottom, and inside each of the contact fixing holes a single fixing means for a contact is provided, into which a base part of the contacting part of the corresponding contact is forced and fixed. In the case of this multi-pole connector, in order to absorb and adjust relative positional deviations in two directions perpendicular to each other between the above-mentioned contacting part and the above-mentioned solder tail, the above-mentioned contact is integrally provided with a U-shaped upper spring formed by bending to provide flexibility in the first direction of pressing the above-mentioned base body into, a worked part bent from the U-shaped upper spring, a U-shaped lower spring formed by punching to provide a U-shaped form in the same orientation as the above-mentioned U-shaped upper spring, and a drop-off preventing means provided between the U-shaped lower spring and the above-mentioned solder tail; the above-mentioned drop-off preventing means has a tongue that fits on the above-mentioned insulator housing to prevent the above-mentioned contact from dropping off from the above-mentioned insulator housing due to a shift in the above-mentioned first direction between the above-mentioned insulator housing and the above-mentioned solder tail.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 11-111408 discloses a connector device comprising a connector holding a plurality of conductive contacts and a counterpart connector holding a plurality of conductive counterpart contacts that are to contact the above-mentioned contacts, wherein the above-mentioned connector and the above-mentioned counterpart connector are relatively moved in an engaging direction to make the above-mentioned contacts and the above-mentioned counterpart contacts contact each other. In the case of this connector device, the above-mentioned connector comprises a base insulator holding the above-mentioned contacts and a guide insulator to be combined with the base insulator, and the above-mentioned base insulator comprises a base plate part, a pair of elastically-deformable first fitting-on pieces that are provided to extend in opposing planes of the base plate part and face each other in the opposing planes at a given interval, first hook parts formed on the top ends of the pair of first fitting-on pieces, and first receiving parts formed in the above-mentioned base plate part to receive the above-mentioned contacts, and the above-mentioned guide insulator comprises a groove part formed to receive the above-mentioned counterpart connector and second receiving parts for receiving the above-mentioned contacts, and the above-mentioned contacts comprise a contacting part located at the above-mentioned groove part, an intermediate part being continuous with one end of the contacting part and to be received in the above-mentioned first receiving part, an elastically-deformable floating part being located in a part of the intermediate part and to be located in the above-mentioned first receiving part so that it can undergo elastic deformation, a holding part being continuous with one end of the floating part and to be held in the above-mentioned first receiving part, and a connecting part being continuous with one end of the holding part and extending out of the above-mentioned base plate part, and the above-mentioned guide insulator is provided with positioning holes for receiving the above-mentioned first fitting-on pieces and first fitting-on stepped parts formed on walls of the positioning holes to fit on the first hook parts of the above-mentioned fitting-on pieces.